Ever Interceding

Ever Interceding

He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. Hebrews 7:25

JESUS CAME AS A PROPHET, lives to intercede as a priest, and will come again as the King. As our Savior, he is able to save completely—spiritually, to be sure, but as he demonstrated in his earthly ministry, salvation is much more comprehensive than many of us have made it out to be. He came to bring the fullness of the Kingdom to us—beginning when we believe and growing and continuing until the consummation of the Kingdom at his return. Or as some translations of this verse say, he is able to save “to the uttermost.” And part of his saving work continues right now at the throne of God as he intercedes with God on behalf of all who believe.

Jesus intercedes for us by applying his sacrifice, his righteousness, and his strength to our lives. His priestly ministry is ongoing. But he also invites us to join him in that ministry, becoming priests to one another and to the world as a whole (1 Peter 2:5-9). By faith, we can therefore apply his sacrifice, righteousness, and strength to those who need him. We can pray for salvation “to the uttermost” for those around us. We cooperate with his ministry when we join our prayers to his intercession for other believers.

That’s a much more satisfying approach than complaining about people’s flaws and mistakes or verbally jousting with them. Using Jesus’ great intercessory prayer in John 17 as a model, we can pray for believers’ protection (17:11, 15); their unity and intimate fellowship with each other and with the Father and Son (verses 11, 21-23); their joy (verse 13); their grounding in his Word (verse 17); their holiness, or being set apart to him (verse 19); their experiences of glory (verses 22, 24); their love (verse 26); and his manifest presence in their lives to empower, encourage, and inspire them (verse 26). In an age when Christians regularly lash out at each other over doctrinal preferences and worship practices, that’s a refreshingly constructive approach. We are called and blessed to pray for each other—in faith and love—always.

When we pray for each other on earth, we do so believing that all things are given to us through Christ alone.